Reception to mark the beginning of the mission of the Representative of the Russian Orthodox Church at the European international institutions

RECEPTION TO MARK THE BEGINNING OF THE MISSION OF THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH AT THE EUROPEAN INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

A reception to mark the beginning of the mission of the Representative of the Russian Orthodox Church at the European international organizations, Bishop Hilarion of Podolsk, took place on February 5, 2003, at the Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Communities at the invitation of Mr. Sergey Kislyak, Russian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, and Mr. Vasily Likhachev, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the European Communities.

Among those invited were Armenian Ambassador Mr. Vigen Tchitetchian, Byelorussian Ambassador Mr. Sergey Martynov, Georgian Ambassador Mr. Konstantine Zaldastanichvili, Moldavian Ambassador Mr. Mikhai Popov, Rumanian Ambassador to the European Union Mr. Lazar Comanescu, Ukrainian Ambassador Mr. Roman Chpek, Yugoslavian Ambassador Mr. Zoran Popovitch, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See at the European Union Archbishop Faustino S. Munoz, Metropolitan Panteleimon of Brussels and Belgium (Patriarchate of Constantinople), Metropolitan Emmanuel of France (Patriarchate of Constantinople), Archbishop Simon of Brussels and Belgium (Moscow Patriarchate), Counselor to the European Commission President Mr. Michael Weninger, deputies of the European Parliament, officers of the European Commission, deputies of the Federal Parliament, members of the Brussels Government, officers of the Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Justice, members of the French and Flemish communities in Belgium, staff members of the Russian embassies to Belgium and the European Union, officers of the embassies of Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Ukraine and other countries, members of the Russian Nobility Assembly, heads and members of representations of Christian Churches to the European Union, scientists, artists and numerous representatives of the church and secular public and mass media.

In this welcoming speech, Ambassador Likhachev spoke about the establishment and commencement of the mission of the Russian Orthodox Church Representation at the European organizations, noting: “The representation has begun its work only recently, but has already managed to establish good relations of partnership with the Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union and the Embassy of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Belgium. These relations correspond to the spirit of partnership and cooperation existing today in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian State which respects all the traditional religions in today’s society”.

“The Russian Orthodox Church enjoys well-deserved respect and recognition not only in the Russian Federation, but also Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, the Baltic countries and the Central Asian countries where she represents a significant social force”, Mr. Likhachev stressed, adding, “In all these countries, the Church is separated from the state, but she is not separated from society, from the people. Enjoying the confidence and support of millions of people, she exerts a considerable influence on the formation of social ethic”.

Addressing the gathering, Bishop Hilarion of Podolsk said in particular, “In recent years the Russian Orthodox Church has manifested a growing interest in European problems. There are several reasons for it. First, after the collapse of the iron curtain, new opportunities have opened up for dialogue between the European Union and the countries which used to comprise the so-called “Eastern block”. Secondly, the considerable grown in the number of communities of the Russian Church in the European Union countries in recent years has made more tangible the presence of our Church in the religious, cultural and public life of Europe. Thirdly, the planned entry of traditionally Orthodox states and Baltic countries, in which there are some 300 parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate, offers additional opportunities for cooperation between our Church and European political structures”.

According to Bishop Hilarion, the Russian Orthodox Church is not indifferent to what the face of Europe will be in the nearest future, what place will be given to religious communities in the European legislation, what role the Orthodox tradition will play in Europe. The Russian Church feels herself an integral part of the European integration and seeks to make her own contribution to the formation of the spiritual and cultural identity of new Europe.

Bishop Hilarion also spoke about the establishment of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church to European international organizations and the first three months of its work. He made a special mention of the visit made by Her Majesty Queen Paola of Belgium to the Representation on January 19, 2003, which evoked a widespread response in and outside Belgium.

“The tasks of the newly-established Representation and the Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Communities are consonant in some ways but not identical”, Bishop Hilarion noted. “Indeed, the Russian Orthodox Church is not only a Church of Russia but also “the Church of a majority” in Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. She has a considerable number of followers in Baltic countries and hundreds of communities in other countries of the world. Besides, the Church is not engaged directly in politics: she participates in debates on only those political problems which have a spiritual and moral dimension. Finally, the Church does not enjoy any governmental, diplomatic or any other official status within European political structures and conducts dialogue with these structures on the voluntary basis. Nevertheless, her voice cannot be ignored as it expresses the opinion of millions of believers”.

In conclusion of his speech Bishop Hilarion informed the gathering about the plans of the Russian Orthodox Church Representation for the year 2003.